It is well known that many aquatic activities are extremely desirable forms of physical therapy for handicapped persons. However, in the past, handicapped or infirm individuals confined to wheelchairs have had great difficulty getting into and out of spas and swimming pools.
A variety of lift apparatus have been devised to assist handicapped and infirm persons in this regard. One such apparatus is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,089. That patent discloses a swimming pool lift apparatus which permits a person confined to a wheelchair to be raised and lowered into a swimming pool within the wheelchair.
A number of other apparatus have been designed to enable handicapped or infirm persons access to pools and spas. However, generally these apparatus require the assistance by an attendant for the handicapped or infirm person to gain access to the pool or spa. In particular, with respect to above ground spas and/or pools, lift devices have been devised to elevate a person above the wall of a spa or pool and, thereafter, the person is manually swung over the pool or spa and lowered in. There are a number of drawbacks with such existing lift apparatus which have been recognized and sought to be remedied by the present invention.